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What is the longest you’ve ever waited for something? Perhaps you are still waiting. What makes it worthwhile to wait for something? When I heard, "Simeon was waiting for the 'consolation of Israel" - since the word "consolation" means comfort - specifically because of a loss they have experienced. Simeon was waiting for God to bring comfort to his nation. It was held captive by the Romans. It had forgotten who it was and more importantly where it came from. It had lost almost everything - but Simeon believed there was still hope.I could use some consolation. How about you? Wouldn't it be great to receive a little good news these days? Which makes me ask - what would be good news to you. What is it that you want - that you are waiting for - more than anything else right now.Simeon and Anna are at the temple. Anna is always there. I would say that Simeon just happened to be assigned his priestly duties that day - but with God there are no happenstances. Mary and Joseph have come because the ritual cleansing time is over and the law expects both the child and the mother to be cleansed. A sacrifice must be made and then they will once again be set apart for God’s work. There are hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament about God sending a Savior - but none of them said exactly when. Our Epistle lesson today reminds us it finally happened, “in the fullness of time.”As the wildfires were raging, COVID19 claiming lives and nations, protests were springing up in some cities across the nation - quite a few people asked, “is this the end times?” The answer is a definite yes - we are in the end times - but whether we still have six months or 600 years before Jesus returns - that is the real question - and no one knows the answer - unless there is someone who God has let in on the secret.Imagine old Simeon - and I do mean old Simeon. He had been promised he wouldn’t die until he saw the Lord’s Messiah. That either meant he was going to live to be 200 - or that the Messiah was finally coming soon. There is no record of Simeon running around Jerusalem telling everyone, “I know something you don’t know...” - which means he understood this was a personal gift - not a prophetic utterance to be shared with the world.For most people the question of religion is not so much "should I be religious?" - but "which religion is the right one? (and we now added “for me!”) Personally, I have always been a Christian - but I wasn't always a Lutheran. And I continue to challenge myself and my faith - always asking questions that to be honest are uncomfortable - but if I don't ask them - I will be even more uncomfortable.To be "saved by grace through faith" - does not mean we are to acquiesce to everything someone tells us - even if that person has authority. The Bible says, "test the spirits" - and so we must. Faith is worthless unless it is built on a solid foundation. Your faith must be in something or more specifically Someone who is worthy of your faith and has the ability to do what you need done.I need to reverse the order of introductions for just a moment, “Anna came up and began to thank God and to speak about Him to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem...”And now Simeon who said, “this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed - and a sword will pierce your own soul - that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”When I think of being consoled - I imagine someone holding me - telling me it’s going to be all right - sitting in silence with me - reminding me I’m not alone. If we read the words of Luke’s Gospel carefully - we see some important things: First, even though everyone is at the temple - not everyone is “looking forward to the redemption of Israel” because Anna doesn’t run around talking to everyone - just those “who are looking forward to” it. Not everyone in church is here because of God and heaven and salvation. Second, Simeon says the consolation this Child is going to bring will actually split the church and reveal the hearts of many who look all holy and pious - but aren’t believers. And this is where we discover the “consolation of Israel” and the “redemption of Jerusalem” are not about restoring the Jewish nation to the glory and wealth of David and Solomon - but a spiritual restoration so they can once again be the “people of God.” You don’t get answers unless you ask questions. You don’t find things unless you look for them. The two most frequently asked questions in my vocabulary are “what” and “why.” I want to what things are - and why they are. Ever had someone give you a gift that you had no idea what it was or why they gave it to you?Do you ever ask God questions? Do you ever ask God why or how or when? Do you wait for the answer? How long do you wait?One of my biggest challenges is even though I have a million questions - I don’t have many answers. But my questions have led me to some interesting discoveries.First, there are some things God doesn’t give us answers to - but that doesn’t mean He wants us to stop looking. Sometimes the quest and the journey is more important than the answers.Second, be wary of someone who has all the answers. It’s easy to guess or make things up - to tell people what they want to hear - but if the answer doesn’t come from God - then it's not the answer you need. Quick, easy answers are not necessarily good answers.Third, sometimes God wants us to put our life in His hands, to trust Him without anything more than a "follow Me" - and other times He wants us to struggle through the process before he reveals the answer. You can call it your wilderness time. But you don't know which is which until you are out on the journey and begin to see where God is leading.Here are a couple of questions I don't have answers to: “Why doesn’t God answer my prayers?” “Why do mean people seem to get what they want?” "Why do bad things happen - especially to good people?" "What is eternity?" "What does heaven look like?" "Who will be in heaven?" "How big is the universe?" “Why isn’t Chick-Fil-A open on Oahu yet?” I think Simeon and Anna had a few questions for God. Our text says, “Anna lived with her husband for seven years - he died and she was a widow until she was 84.” If her marriage was traditional, she could have been a widow for 60 years. I think at one time or other she asked God, “why?” The fact that Simeon was actively "waiting for the consolation of Israel" - tells us he has a backstory and plenty of questions.If you don’t ask questions you’ll never get answers. If you don’t cry out to God, you won’t ever hear His voice. If you don’t look around and notice that things aren’t right - you’ll never understand how they were meant to be. God wants you to understand, to hear, to know. He wants to guide you through the valley of doubt so your faith isn't blind acceptance - but confident assurance.The first step in the journey is honesty. If we’re going to find answers we have to be honest. Questions don’t bother God when they come from an honest heart.You can go to God with your sins, your problems, your pain and your doubts and God will listen. If you go to God and say, “I've got a problem, I've committed a sin, I have doubts, I have questions - God will say - "let’s talk." Think about all the people in the Bible who God asked to be pastors and their list of excuses: Moses said, "I stutter." Timothy said, "I'm too young." Abraham said, "I'm too old." Paul said, "I'm too sinful." God not only accepted each one - but used them in amazing ways in the kingdom.If you go to God and say, “I have no doubts, I'm in total control, I’m a lot better than most people" - don’t expect any answers. If you’re dishonest with God - God will let you handle things on your own. One of the clearest Christmas prophecies came about because King Ahaz told God he didn't need or want to be saved - and God said, "so be it - but for those who do 'the virgin will conceive a child and give birth to a Son and His name will be, God with us.' " The Bible says, Simeon was “righteous and devout" and "Anna spent all day and night praying and praising God.” Were they perfect? No. Were they honest to God - yes. Righteousness is putting your faith in God not doing everything perfectly.The second step is patience. Anna was “well advanced in years” - and while it doesn't say how old Simeon was, it would make sense he was too. In spite of everything they had seen and suffered through, they hadn’t given up on God or His promise. They waited, they prayed, they kept asking questions - and they were patient as they waited for God's answers.Are you patient? I’m not. I want answers and explanations right now. Philip Brooks once said, “the problem is I'm in a hurry and God is not.” Ain't that the truth.God says the answers to our questions are recorded on a calendar - but it's His calendar, not ours - and if you remember that whole, "with the Lord a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as a day" - it explains why we often feel like we're waiting forever. God invented Hawaiian time.God isn’t procrastinating - He just knows exactly when things should happen. God has perfect timing. Referring to Jesus' birth, the Bible said, “in the fullness of time.” God wasn’t early or late - He was right on time when it came to saving the world. We may want things to have happened differently or earlier or later - but God knows when “the fullness of time” is.I don't know if you thought about it - God told Simeon he wouldn't die until he had seen the Messiah. And Simeon was able to say, “Lord, I can depart this world in peace now...” This is faith. The Psalms say, “teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 139 says, God knows "every day of our life before one of them comes to be..." It also says we can't add an hour or a day to our life. But since God is with us through every minute - we know we also live in the “fullness of time.” Habakuk 2:3 says, “for the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.” And the Bible also says, “as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” Some people are offended when God says they can’t understand everything - I’m just reminded He is God and I’m not - something I need to learn all too often.The third step in our journey is faith. Habakuk 2:4 "the righteous will live by his faith.” Back when we used to be able to sing in church and we would sing, “O, come, all ye faithful” - we knew God was calling us to come to Him - not because we were perfect - but because we too were longing for the consolation of the church. The Bible says that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Anna and Simeon were people of faith. Their lives were not easy, things did not always go their way - but they believed God. There is a difference between hope and faith. Hope is what we have in politicians when we hear them say, "we're from the government and we're here to help you..." we hope they will do the right thing - but are often disappointed.Faith is different. Faith requires a higher level of trust than we are capable of - and yet are willing to take a risk because of Who our faith is in. For Simeon - this little child in his arms was just that - a baby. And yet because he knew the prophecies - the promise of God - but more importantly Simeon knew God - he didn’t need to wait until Jesus grew up - walked on water, fed the 5,000, loved sinners, healed the sick, raised the dead or challenged the status quo. He knew God would keep His word. The final step in the journey is the simplest. Everyday people yell at God, question God, pray to God - but don’t stop to listen. The Bible says all those who were looking for Him, those who were waiting for Him - found Him. If you seek God - you will find Him. Keep asking questions - then be still and let Him speak to you in the fullness of time... In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. ................
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